Chef notes
Here's a simple way prepare a favorite Thanksgiving side. Just bake the potatoes, peel and slice, then drench them in a butter-cider-maple syrup mixture that's been seasoned with cinnamon, cloves and orange zest. Bake until bubbly and the edges brown. If you want to top these with marshmallows, you can add some mini ones to the top, then broil until they brown.
Technique tips: Choose sweet potatoes that are about the same size, so they cook evenly and look uniform in the baking dish. You can bake the sweet potatoes and make the syrup a few days in advance.
This recipe was reprinted with permission from NYT Cooking.
Ingredients
- 5 large sweet potatoes (3½ pounds)
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/3 cup apple cider
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Preparation
1.Preheat oven to 375 F.
2.To cook the sweet potatoes, wash them and prick all over with a fork. Wrap in foil and bake until very tender. This can take anywhere from 50 minutes to 1½ hours, depending upon the girth of the potato. Thinner ones cook more quickly. Cool. Peel just before using.
3.Heat oven to 400 F.
4.In a small pot, combine syrup, cider, butter, cinnamon, cloves, orange zest and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until somewhat thickened, about 15 minutes. Pour syrup over sliced sweet potatoes and bake, uncovered, until bubbling and brown, 25 to 40 minutes.
